Category Archives: ADVENTURES IN HOME TAPING

Welcome to the third spotlight on one of the 26 bands/artists that will appear on the POST/POP vs Cassette Culture Collaboration Compilation (PXP006). I aim to have one of these interviews every single day so by the time we release the album at the end of March you will know each band initmately! Next up is REVUE! who is less a band more a hip-hop/spoken word superstar in the making. The track on the album is ‘Public Service Announcement’ and it unpick the stitching of hip-hop and leaves an open wound for us to stick our fingers into. Here she is!

Where are you from? Somewhere exotic? Are there any nice record shops there?

My name is Revue, and I am currently residing in Ogden Utah. There are a few good spots to pick up music out in these parts.

What genre would you pigeonhole yourself into? Y’know, if I had a gun to your head! (There’s a slim chance that in the future I may have to point a gun to your head due to sleepwalking)

I’d say that I would go in the Spoken Word Poetry genre.

I’m bored of bands telling the world what their musical influences are SO, what are your non-musical influences? (people, movies, art etc)

Mostly, my non musical influences come from life experiences and books because I read a lot. I also observe a lot and study when I can.

How did you find out about this collaboration/compilation and what made you send me your songs?

I found out by seeing the post on the r/cassetteculture subreddit. At the most, somebody would like my work, and at the least they wouldn’t, so I decided to go ahead and send something just to see what happened. I figured it couldn’t hurt, right?

You are in a dusty room. Time hangs heavy in the air. Before you is an ancient table, carved from a twisted tree that once stood proudly atop a lost mountain. Upon this great table is a gilded envelope. You open the envelope slowly, knowing that it will give you the answer that you have been waiting for ever since you started this journey. You have lost many friends and gained untold enemies along the way. All for this. This moment. You carefully remove the parchment, feeling the edges until it draws blood. You notice not, as your eyes flicker across the page. Your blind companion, so loyal, even though you traded his eyes for safe passage and a mixtape, brings his ear close to your lips and asks you the question. “What did the letter say?” and your answer is……

“It says, ‘Word on the street is that ancient platypuses spoke to the water and asked James if the checkerboard is going to get up past 7 o’clock. Plaid sweaters everywhere danced and said what the hell is wrong with you pulling my thread like that. What are you trying to do, stab my immortality!? GTFOH with that bullshit!”

And at the bottom of the letter it says the following:

“Is it true?’ ”

Do you listen to tapes yourself? Do you think there’s a future for the format?

I just barely got into listening to tapes again. I started purchasing them recently because some of my favorite artists have made special edition packages of albums and are releasing limited batches of music that were previously unheard, or that won’t be printed again. If the artist is that good, I’ll scoop it up if the price is right. It’s tough for me to say whether or not there is a future for the format. I think it’s too soon to tell whether or not tapes will enjoy the same longevity that vinyl has had over the years. All I can do is throw my hat in the ring and see what happens.

What’s the one thing people should know about you before they listen to your track?

Everything I write is meant to be a conversation piece, meaning I invite people to talk about the topics and pull them apart. I want people to break down and analyze the “who”,”what”, “when”, “where”, “why”, “how” and “which-es” found in them, so feel free to spark some conversation on it.

What’s the one thing people should know after they listen to your track?

Welcome to the second spotlight on one of the 26 bands/artists that will appear on the POST/POP vs Cassette Culture Collaboration Compilation (PXP006). I aim to have one of these interviews every single day so by the time we release the album at the end of March you will know each band initmately! Next up is MORMON GIRLS. POST/POP is really representing Canada recently, as we are also releasing a tape for Kestrels in March. The song in question is ‘City Lights Scream’ and I picked it out of many great songs they have. Here’s the interview…

Hello! You are one of the 26 bands chosen for the POST/POP X CassetteCulture compilation. Congrats and thank you for letting me use your song. Just so everyone can know a little about you, who are you?

What genre would you pigeonhole yourself into? Y’know, if I had a gun to your head! (There’s a slim chance that in the future I may have to point a gun to your head due to sleepwalking)

MH: Gun to my head, eh? We were described as ‘Nu-Gaze’ in a recent review because of the shoegaze element, but there’s an indie rock and post hardcore influence that is there too. ‘Pigeonhole,’ however, makes me think of generic genre type so… alternative.

TW: Can’t believe you said “eh”. Stop stereotyping our country! If it were 2003 we’d get lumped in with emo. I’d say we are indie rock though.

I’m bored of bands telling the world what their musical influences are SO, what are your non-musical influences? (people, movies, art etc)

MH: Music is a huge influence obviously, but for me personally when I write non-musical influences are just as important. I’m super into film and reading (Kerouac, Burroughs, Vonnegut. The weird stuff.) I find myself writing songs that have been influenced by a feeling I got watching a movie or reading a book more often than when I listen to music. I thought of the band name at 4A.M. after a night of drinking, so I guess drinking too?

How did you find out about this collaboration/compilation and what made you send me your songs?

MH: Tyson works in a library and I work at a bank during the day, so the downtime is full of emails back and forth about ideas and things we find on the internet. He is definitely the more productive one and finds great blogs and opportunities.

TW: Norwegian Blue just re-emerged as a cassette/vinyl only label last summer. I found a bunch of like-minded individuals in the /r/cassetteculture thread. When an opportunity to contribute became available, I jumped on it!

You are in a dusty room. Time hangs heavy in the air. Before you is an ancient table, carved from a twisted tree that once stood proudly atop a lost mountain. Upon this great table is a gilded envelope. You open the envelope slowly, knowing that it will give you the answer that you have been waiting for ever since you started this journey. You have lost many friends and gained untold enemies along the way. All for this. This moment. You carefully remove the parchment, feeling the edges until it draws blood. You notice not, as your eyes flicker across the page. Your blind companion, so loyal, even though you traded his eyes for safe passage and a mixtape, brings his ear close to your lips and asks you the question. “What did the letter say?” and your answer is……

MH: It said nothing. There was a sketch of an eyeless man on the paper.

TW: “42”

Do you listen to tapes yourself? Do you think there’s a future for the format?

MH: Honestly, I’m just starting to again. When I was a kid I nearly wore out a couple of my Dad’s that I stole from him. Beastie Boys – License to Ill, Green Day – Dookie and Nirvana – Unplugged were the hard hitters for me. The resurgence of vinyl is definitely one I have fully embraced and now that cassettes have some steam again it’s a great way to hear independent bands for a reasonable price. Price-point aside, it sounds pretty sweet. I don’t think it will go as far as vinyl has again with major label distribution, but it should become a viable and more widely used format of independent music.

TW: Yes and yes! My most recent purchase is Tears For Fears – Songs From the Big Chair. Bought it for $.50 at the thrift shop! Cassettes will always be around because people love the human touch of the format. People like Bart Records/Revolution Winter in Calgary, Alberta; Ritual Tapes in Louisiana; Fleeting Youth and Graveyard Orbit from Texas; and now, POST/POP from London, won’t let this format go down without a fight.

As the t-shirt from Bart Records says, “Hometaping is Saving Music.

What’s the one thing people should know about you before they listen to your track?

MH: I wrote “City Lights Scream” when I was 17. It’s probably the first ‘good’ song I wrote and it has gone through some weird stages to make it to the final version. It’s nice to take the older songs I wrote as a solo artist and bring it to the guys to make it a Mormon Girls song by adding their parts and style. Now we are starting to have consistency with the new songs we are writing. It’s great.

TW: Mickey and I recorded an acoustic version of this song in my living room, circa 2009-ish. We were drinking heavily and he kept stomping the floor and shaking the mike. We have a copy of that somewhere.

What’s the one thing people should know after they listen to your track?

MH: We have more! Our EP “The Farm Sessions” is out on a random selection of coloured cassettes that can be purchased at www.norwegianblue.bigcartel.com and it has 5 tracks including “City Lights Scream.” We’re also working on new material! A new track, “Bears II,” will be available in April on a compilation we are putting out with Norwegian Blue Records, which is Tyson’s brainchild.

TW: After we recorded the acoustic version of City Lights, I turned it into an indietronic remix and auto-tuned the hell out of Mick’s voice. We have a copy of that somewhere too.

Thank you Mormon girls! Below are the other interviews from the bands on the compilation. Have a read and get ready for the March release!

Welcome to the first spotlight on one of the 26 bands/artists that will appear on the POST/POP vs Cassette Culture Collaboration Compilation (PXP006). I aim to have one of these interviews every single day so by the time we release the album at the end of March you will know each band initmately! First up is CHARLES STRICKLAND EXPRESS. The song in question is quite simply – and I don’t say this lightly – one of the greatest songs I’ve ever heard about the trials and tribulations of a modern day musician. It’s called ‘Ballad of the Virtual Musician’ and I think it’s going to be important!

Hello! You are one of the 26 bands chosen for the POST/POP X /R/CassetteCulture Compilation. Congrats and thank you for letting me use your song. Just so everyone can know a little about you, who are you?

My name is Charles Strickland and I’m a character from a wonderful book called ‘The Moon and Sixpence’ by Somerset Maugham.

Where are you from? Somewhere exotic? Are there any nice record shops there?
Yes, a very exotic Scottish city called Dundee. And yes it is home to possibly THE most legendary Scottish independent record shop of all time, it’s called ‘Grouchos’ and it has been here forever.

What genre would you pigeonhole yourself into? Y’know, if I had a gun to your head! (There’s a slim chance that in the future I may have to point a gun to your head due to sleepwalking)
Pop (gun).

I’m bored of bands telling the world what their musical influences are SO, what are your non-musical influences? (people, movies, art etc)
Ram Dass, Black Cat White Cat and most Powell/Pressburger movies. Antoni Tapies, Somerset Maugham, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and some books most notably: ‘Catcher in the Rye’, ‘Steppenwolf’, ‘Generation X’, ‘On The Road’ and too many more of each to mention.

How did you find out about this collaboration/compilation and what made you send me your songs?
A long time lurker on r/cassetteculture and ‘Neztok’ follower on Twitter. There was something about the big hearted energy of this project that got to me and compelled me to contact you.

You are in a dusty room. Time hangs heavy in the air. Before you is an ancient table, carved from a twisted tree that once stood proudly atop a lost mountain. Upon this great table is a gilded envelope. You open the envelope slowly, knowing that it will give you the answer that you have been waiting for ever since you started this journey. You have lost many friends and gained untold enemies along the way. All for this. This moment. You carefully remove the parchment, feeling the edges until it draws blood. You notice not, as your eyes flicker across the page. Your blind companion, so loyal, even though you traded his eyes for safe passage and a mixtape, brings his ear close to your lips and asks you the question. “What did the letter say?” and your answer is……

Your mission on earth is to awaken from the illusion of separateness. God, Guru and Self are One.

Do you listen to tapes yourself? Do you think there’s a future for the format?
Yes, I have a large suitcase full of tapes that go way back. Everything from early 2 track recordings to the 4 track experiments of later periods. I love digging about in them and finding hidden gems I’d forgotten existed. Self indulgent I know but I also have several tapes purchased new this year from cassette labels.

I think the cassette resurgence is about a lot of different things, but to me the main one is about the re-materialization of recorded music. People need something that has aura, intimacy and a ritual element.
We are only just beginning to realize how diluted the power of music has become in the ipod age.

What’s the one thing people should know about you before they listen to your track?

That I’m probably old enough to be their father.

What’s the one thing people should know after they listen to your track?

That I hope their fathers are as cool as I am.

Thank you Mr Strickland. Stay tuned for another spotlight interview with one of the bands from Choose Your Own Adventure album, every single day!

you will know that I recently ran a competition in collaboration with Reddit’s /r/cassetteculture to find 26 bands to feature on our joint album. The album is named ‘CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE’ for the reasons described in the above post.

It’s going to be a fantastic little tape compilation album with many unique styles, lots of different genres, spouts of genius and flashes of insanity. The tape will feature a unique short story to read while you are listening to the tape. If you read at a regular pace, it should soundtrack the story very nicely! There will be lots of lovely extras I will throw into the tape too, like stickers and maps and other things and will be limited to 50 tapes only. I realise that seems crazy for an album with 26 different artists on it, so I will see what demand is like and adjust accordingly. I’m happy with 50 though!

So the bands who will feature on the album are…. (Band Names on the right and this is in no particular order…)

Song For A Romantic Comedy -Token Lightning Foundation

Ballad of the Virtual Musician – Charles Strickland Express

Fanfare for the retired clown – Chris Ridire

Jean Jacket Blues – Girls on the Beach

Eventually America -Tremolo Ghosts

The Curtain – Pasty Cline

Breakfast With The Astronauts REDUX – Don’t Forget Your Dinosaur

Soul Stealer’s End – Night Steve

onyx -Geodesics

MYSTIC – AMULETS

Public Service Announcement – Revue

93 Lumina -Jump The Blinds

Yelva – This Cold Night

Alto Sax 3 – Suburban Coconuts

I Believe in Ghosts – Happy Hill

Lookin for Hell – Shitstorm

Rooms – Queen Bee Dream

Cutting Room Floor – Plastic Indians

Visiting My Brain – Happy Front

I Am The Moss – Tam Tam The Sandwich Man & The Magical Sugar Cookies

I Wouldn’t Mind – Ourselves the Elves

Ride – Masta Q

Autumn – Matthew Bedoya

Breaking Bikes AKA If Ignorance Is Bliss Then Why Am I So Unhappy? – High Adventure

City Lights Scream – Mormon Girls

No One Wants to Know – The Nomarks

I will update this post on almost a daily basis with bios and photos and more info on all of these bands. I will also try to do little interviews with them all so you know what you are getting into before you listen to the tape.

I plan to release it at the end of March and like all the other POST/POP releases will also be part of the British Library’s Archive where one tape will from each release will be placed for future generations.

This truly is a brilliant adventure for me and I hope you all join me!

If you don’t already know r/cassetteculture, they are a subreddit that is keeping the DIY tape culture alive. Made up of a million micro-labels of die-hard tape enthusiasts (mostly from USA) who share stories, tapes and crazy finds with each other. Reading this forum gave me all the info I needed to start a label with cassettes as its main focus.

SO, main guy Neztok hooked me up with a collab where dozens of bands submitted songs for a compilation album celebrating cassette culture. The deadline hasn’t passed yet (Feb 6th) so I am still sorting through all of the entries. Every single genre is represented including some truly incred hip-hop and surf-rock!

The theme is CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE, y’know, like the books! Those books form our childhood gave us early steps into the unknown. You’d never know where you would end up from one page to the next and thats exactly what I am trying to do with the album. You could fast forward and hear opera, rewind a few seconds and hear post-rock, fast forward a little and hear metal, fast forward a bit more and get some grimy hip-hop calypso. It really is an audio adventure.

What I aim to do with POST/POP is showcase bands you would most likely never hear. Like the start of a great adventure, all you have with you is a cassette, a tape player and your trust in me to guide you.

Full band listings and song titles after Feb 6th. This is gonna be BIG.